1980's mountain bikes...

Keith1983

I had a Raleigh Lizard in the 80's and a Raleigh Activator in the mid 90's. I would love an Activator again. I loved the dark blue, oily green paint job!

jayson

Seems to me reading back through this thread that alot of us all had or started out on raleigh mtbs which makes me wonder what do kids start on these days now raleigh only make uber cheap and horrible economy bikes??

I remember raleigh had a special 'lightweight' division that made all their Reynolds steel frames for both road and mtb but nowadays thats all gone and replaced with cheap rubbish that can sell for £70, how the mighty fall....

Northwind

aaronmroach wrote:

A girvin Flex stem.

Ah, the flexstem! Almost completely ineffectual even when it worked, and then when the elastomer perished- which it did instantly- you're left with just a set of bars attached to the bike by a rattly hinge. And once that happens, it gets down to the real purpose of the flexstem- that of causing maximum ball damage when you land on it. Which, since you're young and stupid and your entire approach to every obstacle is just to ram it at max speed, happens at least once every ride.

I'm not too good at reminiscing.

timpop

The first one I tried was a custom built Rocky Mountain in about 1985/6. I loved it of course and remember giving it a flat. It belonged to Grayson Bain, the president of Rocky Mountain at the time. Friend of my Dad. (shameless drop 8) ) Then my first one bought was a Rocky Mountain Fusion in 1990 followed in 1991 by the Rocky Mountain Stratos which was a classic. No suspenstion of course but fast. A friend of mine rode from Sweden to Vietnam on a Stratos. Mad!

cooldad

Northwind wrote:

aaronmroach wrote:

A girvin Flex stem.

Ah, the flexstem! Almost completely ineffectual even when it worked, and then when the elastomer perished- which it did instantly- you're left with just a set of bars attached to the bike by a rattly hinge. And once that happens, it gets down to the real purpose of the flexstem- that of causing maximum ball damage when you land on it. Which, since you're young and stupid and your entire approach to every obstacle is just to ram it at max speed, happens at least once every ride.

I'm not too good at reminiscing.

Flexstem. Great piece of kit. And Biopace.

kirby700

Had various Falcon ATBS as they were called in the late 80's, then on my sixteenth birthday my Mum and Dad gave me the option of a Motorbike or Cycle,

Had to be the cycle

Trek 830 in bright yellow with paint splats, spent a fortune upgrading with Flex stem, Mavic wheels with XT hubs and new gear systems just for it to get pinched 2 years after. AND that horrible biopace cranks which just seemed to annoy my right knee.

Than a Trek 930 with suspension forks! how plush was these in the warm weather, terrible in the cold!

t0pc4t

had a raleigh mustang, happy days

mac_man

Almost 1980s... Had a Gt Talera in a grey splatter effect paint job in 1990. Thought it was ace.
Had to leave it at a mates house after we moved and kids came along.
When the time came to get it back (some years later) he'd said he'd lent to a lad from work who'd ditched it one night going home. Tw@t.

Cost a fair penny back then... around £300 if I recall. Stupendous amount of money back then, well for me anyway.

saprkzz

got a 1990 Klein Attitutde in Dolomite - YUM YUM!!

My first MTB was a Raleigh also.. I was only 13 and was a 20" frame, good old halfords!!